Shanmugam urges FT to correct inaccuracies

Shanmugam urges FT to correct inaccuracies

    By Kimberly Spykerman
    POSTED: 08 Jul 2013 4:45 PM
  
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K Shanmugam on Monday said he hopes the Financial Times (FT) would do the "honourable thing" and correct the inaccuracies it set out in its first article about American researcher Shane Todd's death.

SINGAPORE: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K Shanmugam on Monday said he hopes the Financial Times (FT) would do the "honourable thing" and correct the inaccuracies it set out in its first article about American researcher Shane Todd's death.

This follows the State Coroner's verdict that Dr Todd had committed suicide by hanging himself.

He said that the journalist who wrote the article, Raymond Bonner, had "recycled untruths" and that he hoped FT would "set out the truth".

He said the conspiracy theory that Dr Todd had been murdered was based on "untruths", "pure imagination", and "pure fantasy", pointing specifically to three allegations put forward by Dr Todd's family.

First, that the family had found Dr Todd's hard disk drive which allegedly contained proof Dr Todd was involved in sensitive research.

The minister said this was untrue as it was the Singapore police who had handed over the hard disk to the family at a meeting which US embassy officials were present. This was also confirmed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Second, that someone had mysteriously accessed Dr Todd's computer after he died, which suggested a conspiracy.

Mr Shanmugam said that evidence in court had shown the person who accessed the computer was the investigating officer.

Third, that the family's expert witness, Dr Edward Adelstein, had said Dr Todd was strangled with a cord or wire -- a theory which he later retracted.

The minister said: "He went on, really on a thought experiment and he said given his experience in Asia, people get killed by criminals. And therefore Dr Todd must have been killed. I think you can say this is somewhat farcical."

Mr Shanmugam pointed to evidence from four pathologists -- two from the US and two top Singaporean pathologists -- who concluded that Dr Todd had committed suicide by hanging himself.

He said: "We had 73 witness statements presented in court, 44 testified. All who wanted to give evidence were able to do so. Experts were presented, we worked with the FBI. So we've cooperated with the US officials.

"I think the world can see what we have done, and all I can say is we have acted according to the law, to get to the truth. This is what we would do in every case of unnatural death. I think the US authorities can see for themselves what we have done."

The minister also acknowledged that it was not easy for Dr Todd's family to accept that he committed suicide.

He said: "I think we can all understand if we were in the parents' shoes, you know this young man, he had a PhD, he had a bright future ahead of him, he had done well... So it's very very difficult to accept that he would have gone out there with a full and promising career ahead of him, that he would have killed himself.

"We have to make allowance for that, understand that. Nevertheless, I think one has got to come to grips with the truth, and the reality, and at some point in time, reach closure and not make allegations which are not based on facts."

Mr Shanmugam added that the family never explained how the untruths came about as they walked out of the proceedings before testifying.

In response to questions about the family calling the outcome pre-determined, Mr Shanmugam said: "There's no reason for the Attorney-General's Chambers to want any conclusion," adding that all evidence had been dealt with.

Pointing to a statement issued by the US Embassy which said that the process had been "fair and transparent", Mr Shanmugam added that US-Singapore ties would not be affected.

- CNA/jc

- wong chee tat :)